Forever and a Day
by Kaika Hana
Summary: "How long will you love me, Collins?" "Forever and a day." A story on how Collins lived life even after Angel's death. Rated T for, well, death.
1. Prologue: Without You

A/N: I do not own Angel or Collins or Rent. We all owe Rent to Jonathan Larson. May he rest in peace.

Anyway, I almost teared up writing this so yeah… Good luck reading. :D

**Forever and a Day**

**Prologue [Without You]**

She was so frail… so weak… so pale.

It killed me to look at the figure on the bed but I knew that I had to be strong. I had to show her that I was there and that I still had hope for her.

I held her close, as she looked up at me and touched my cheek.

"Tom…" She barely whispered with her raspy voice.

I held her hand tightly and swallowed before answering, "What is it Angel?"

"Do you… love me?" She asked softly, her words accompanied by a weak smile.

"Angel, of course I love you. Nothing can ever change that." I assured her while looking straight into her eyes.

"Not even death?" She asked with a slight tone of worry wavering in her voice.

"Don't talk like that." I said, putting a finger to her mouth.

"How long will you love me, Collins?" She asked, her white hand suddenly tightening its grip on mine.

I could feel tears forming in my eyes, but I blinked them away. I couldn't let her see me like that. "I'll love you forever and a day." I said, embracing her fragile body.

"That sounds… promising." She answered, before falling into a coughing fit.

"A-Angel! Are you okay?" I asked with worry, rubbing her back.

She nodded weakly and shifted on the hospital bed. Her face was becoming even more colorless now, much to my dismay.

"Tom…" She called again when the coughing had subsided.

"Yes?" I asked, pulling her up a little.

"You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Thank you for loving me… even if I'm… so imperfect." She said as she smiled her beautiful smile. "I'm going to miss you."

"Angel… Please, don't talk like that…" I begged her. I couldn't lose her. Not _my _Angel. I couldn't lose the only person who had ever made me feel like my life was still worth living. The only person I had reason left to live for…

"I'm sorry Tom… I don't want to leave you…" She said, a few tears forming in her eyes.

"Angel, no… please, don't…" I begged harder, tears coming back to my eyes again. This time I didn't bother stopping them. It was no use anyway.

"I love you, Tom Collins. Forever and a day…" She said, caressing my face again, before her eyes slowly closed, and that hand on my cheek fell limp on her side.

The machine connected to her let out one long, flat tone.

"Angel…" I muttered in disbelief. "Angel!" I said louder.

There was no response as the machine's tone continued.

The tears were now freely flowing from my eyes. She was…

I cried, embracing her body that was slowly going cold. "I love you Angel… I love you!" I whispered as I rocked back and forth, still clutching onto her.

And just like that, she had left me.

She was gone.

~To be Continued~


	2. Chapter 1: You Okay Honey

A/N: I do not own Angel or Collins or Rent. We all owe Rent to Jonathan Larson. May he rest in peace.

This is a little after Angel's funeral, but before Roger left [if there even was such a time. HAHA]. They came over to visit. Just to clarify things. :) Also, this is somewhat a mash up of both the Broadway and the movie. :) Enjoy~

**Forever and a Day**

**Chapter 1 [You Okay Honey?]**

I miss her.

I miss her smile… her laugh…

I miss seeing her in our small apartment. I miss the scent of her cooking. I miss every single thing about her… every single thing she used to do…

Why? Why did they take her from me? Why now? When I was finally happy… when I finally felt complete…

I don't know how much longer I'll be able to last anymore.

"Collins…" I heard Mark's voice and felt an arm on my back.

I looked at him, flashed a small smile and gripped the hand on my shoulder, before turning back to Angel's grave.

That's when I remembered… I was still alive, because I had them.

Maureen, Joanne, Roger, Mimi… even Benny.

The 7 of us were gathered around the stone marker that had a bouquet of red roses laid in front of it, along with the same picture of Angel that we had used during her wake and funeral.

I knelt down to light two candles, trying my best to keep the involuntary tears from putting out the tiny flames.

I stood up again and felt all of my friends coming closer, to a group hug around the tombstone. We sang a few lines of her funeral song, before the others decided to go ahead, to give me some private time with her.

_When your heart has expired…_

I sat down on the grass and picked up the black frame. I traced her lips on the picture with my thumb, only to find my tears dripping right at her eyes. It was as if she was crying with me.

_Oh lover, I'll cover you…_

I rested my head on my knees with the frame in between, as I allowed my tears to flow freely.

Nothing seemed right anymore. The beat of a drum had never sounded so dull. Her red Santa coat had never been so colorless. My life had never been so empty.

But there was nothing I could do. It was her time, and it obviously wasn't mine yet. I had to keep living. I had to keep going… for her.

I don't understand why it is though, that before we meet someone special, we seem to be fine living on our own, but when we do meet that amazing person, and they leave us, we suddenly don't remember how we were able to survive alone before.

And just like that, it was Christmas Eve again. I promised Mark I would go meet up with them, but I decided to take a little detour first. Where? I honestly didn't know myself either. But it seemed my body knew.

Before I knew it, I was in that same dark alley where I had first met Angel.

I sat down in that same spot I chose to rest at exactly a year ago and closed my eyes.

"_You okay honey?"_

"_I'm afraid so."_

"_Did they get money?"_

"_No, had none to get. But they purloined my coat… Well you missed a sleeve!"_

"_Well it's Christmas Eve…I'm Angel."_

"_Angel… indeed. An angel of the first degree. Friends call me Collins. Tom Collins."_

I opened my eyes again, half expecting her to be there, crouched down next to me. But once again, reality hit me hard. I sighed before standing up to head over to Mark's apartment.

I called Mark and told him to drop the keys. He joked, saying "Don't get your ass kicked this time!" I could only shrug as I headed inside. How could I get my ass kicked, if there was no Angel to save me anyway?

I came in and gave the boys some drinks and money, before telling them that I rewired the ATM at the Food Emporium. All you needed was a code. A-N-G-E-L.

"Cheers. Merry Christmas." I said as I toasted my cup with theirs. I looked up and gave a small toast to Angel wherever she was too.

"MARK! ROGER! ANYONE? HELP!" We suddenly heard Maureen shout. We rushed to the balcony and saw Maureen with Joanne, who was carrying an unconscious Mimi, who had actually been missing for the past couple of weeks.

We rushed to bring her up and lay her on the table, covering her up with as many of our coats as we could find. Her face was losing color, she had a fever, and was shivering. She had been living on the streets this whole time she was missing, and was most likely suffering from drug withdrawal too.

I tried calling 911 while Mimi and Roger were trying to clear things up between them. I was put on hold. I cursed inwardly as I joined the group again. I listened to the two of them and couldn't help but feel for them. Their situation was somewhat similar to mine and Angel's a few months ago, after all.

Mimi finally confessed that she loved Roger. Roger then told her to hold on, so she could listen to his song that he finally finished after a year. He sang with passion I hadn't seen in him since April was still around. He really loved Mimi, that much, I could tell. Finally, he sang, "I have always loved you. You can see it in my eyes."

And as his song ended, Mimi's hand fell limp. All four of us in the background were teary-eyed and didn't want to believe that we had lost yet another member of our family. Roger shouted her name one last time before embracing her body with tears falling from his eyes.

No one made a sound, and no one moved, until her hand suddenly twitched. She coughed and quickly sat back up, shocking us all. She was… alive!

She looked around, a bit confused, before saying, "I was heading towards this warm, white light, and I swear, Angel was there…" She stated before turning to me. "…and she looked _good_." We couldn't help but chuckle. She _always _looked good. To me, at least. "She said… _Turn around girlfriend, and listen to that boy's song."_

The tears in my eyes had completely changed purpose. From fear of losing a friend, it became gratitude to that one special person that had saved her. She really was… no, she _is _indeed, an Angel of the first degree.

And no matter what, she will always be _my _Angel.

Roger put his forehead to Mimi's drenched one as Maureen noticed that her fever was breaking. Hope filled the room once more.

Mark then started to sing.

_There is no future, there is no past._

Roger held Mimi's shoulders and smiled.

_Thank God this moment's not the last._

Mimi placed her hand on top of his and placed it over her heart.

_There's only us. There's only this. Forget regret, or life is yours to miss._

Before we knew it, all of us joined into the song. The medley of Life Support's core mottos and messages.

_No other road. No other way. No day but today._

As the song continued, Mark walked over to his camera projector and turned it on. I was so overwhelmed by what was happening, especially since Mimi was saved by none other than Angel, I just fell over and cried on the pillow by Mimi. My friends huddled around me comfortingly as they continued to sing different melodies at the same time.

_I can't control my destiny.  
Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care?_

The film started playing. It was entitled "Today 4 U". I got up and walked over to Mark, wiping my eyes with my sleeve as the film started showing different clips of us… our "family".

_I trust my soul my only goal is just to be…  
Will I wake tomorrow from this nightmare?_

More memories were flashed onscreen, like moments from Maureen's show and New Year's… And every time I saw her face, a different emotion was set off in my heart.

_Without you, the hand gropes, the ear hears, the pulse beats,  
There's only now, there's only here. Give in to love, or live in fear._

I pulled Mark over and put my arm around his shoulder. I was close to tears again, because of all the memories that came flooding back, like our little concert in the Life Café, and also because I didn't think Mark would be able to put together something so beautiful and touching from our everyday lives.

_Life goes on, but I'm gone, coz I'd die without you…_

There was something odd that I noticed. I didn't know if I was the only one who heard it, but I was certain that I could hear a seventh voice join the song as we boys sang...

_No other path, no other way, no day but today._

…Angel.

_I'd die without you.  
No day but today._

We sang those two lines at the same time over and over again. Their meanings sank deeper into our minds with each time we repeated them. Angel's voice had disappeared by this point, but I still couldn't believe that I even heard it at all.

The movie was now focused on the couples.

First it was Maureen and Joanne, sharing a quick kiss.

Then it showed Roger and Mimi, giggling over something, before Mimi pulls Roger out of the way, in what also looked like a kiss.

And then, it was me and Angel. Her smile looked so beautiful, as it always did.

Another clip that had touched me was a clip of Roger, Angel and me, laughing really hard. I remembered that even in those times of trouble, when we looked at the other things that were important to us, suddenly some of the problems we had just didn't matter as much anymore.

_No day but today._

Finally, it was a quick switching from clip to clip. I couldn't even count how many times I saw Angel's different outfits. The short black wig, the long blonde wig, and of course, no wig. The film ended with a clip of Angel, turning her head to the camera, and as the film faded out, a hint of a smile curled on her lips.

~To be Continued~

A/N: Yeah, basically I just wrote what really happened in the end. The only fanfic part of this is before Collins comes over. Don't ask why I did that though. XD

There's another reason I posted this chapter today. It's so that it will really be Christmas when I post this! Merry Christmas everyone, and stay tuned for more. :)


	3. Chapter 2: La Vie Boheme

A/N: I do not own Angel or Collins or Rent. We all owe Rent to Jonathan Larson. May he rest in peace.

Again, another trip down memory lane. But, the real story will start here. :D Haha. Enjoy~

But you know, I honestly don't feel like anyone is interested, so I lose motivation to continue. I already have a full plan, but I don't have that feeling of fulfillment from receiving a review… So please, if you don't mind, speak your mind. :) Except flames. Flames will be stomped on and then ignored. :P

_**Like I said before! **_The scenes here are usually a mix of both broadway and movie, okay? Just want to make that perfectly clear.

Of course, _italics are flashbacks. _Unless if it's just like _one _word in a sentence. Then that's emphasis. _Emphasis in a flashback will look like __**this.**_

Okay, now, go and read. :D

**Forever and a Day**

**Chapter 2 [La Vie Boheme]**

Christmas day. Everyone planned to meet at the Life Café for lunch. I still had some money left over from the ATM raid, so I offered to shoulder all the expenses. It was still a little early though, so I took another detour. This time, I found myself walking down that street full of vendors where Angel and I kissed for the first time. I could still remember it so clearly.

"_Alone at last!" Angel sighed happily._

"_They'll be back, I guarantee." I said, looking back and forth from the two boys slowly fading into the distance, and her._

"_I've been hearing violins all night." She grinned, twisting around teasingly._

"_Anything to do with me?" I asked, a little hopeful. She just continued to smile. "Are we… a thing?"_

"_Darling, we're everything!" She said as we started down the road and sang to each other._

I shook my head as every memory made me miss her more. I continued trudging down the street, when I found myself face to face with a familiar woman by a table full of coats and other various clothes.

"Hey, I remember you." She chuckled, looking at my coat with a grin.

I nodded and gave a small smirk. "So do I." How could I forget? She _did _steal my coat after all.

"Hey, you ain't still mad 'bout your coat, are you?" She asked, as she sorted out her stock.

"Nah, I'm over that. Somehow I'm kinda thankful, actually. If you didn't steal my coat back then, I may have never met…" I stopped there, looked down at the ground and sighed.

"What's wrong? Where's your girlfriend?" She asked, somewhat concerned with my mood swing.

I gave no answer as I continued to stare at the dull pavement.

She put a hand on my shoulder and asked quietly, "You didn't break up, did you?"

I shook my head with and gave a sarcastic looking smile. "No. She… died, last October." I admitted, shrugging my shoulders.

"Oh." She said, looking down as well. "I'm really sorry to hear that."

I nodded my head in appreciation and stared at the rack.

"_That's my coat!" I yelled at the vendor._

"_We give discount…" She retorted._

"_Let's get a better one." Angel said comfortingly._

"_It's a scam! She's a thief!" I said, pointing at her._

"_But she brought us together!" Angel reminded me, putting her arms around my shoulders._

"Hey, you okay?" The vendor asked me, patting my back gently.

I nodded. "Yeah, thanks. Well, I gotta go. My friends are waiting." I smiled. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too." She said as I walked away.

I looked around the street again as I slowly made my way to the café. Memories of Angel just couldn't stop flowing through my head.

"_Oh lover, I'll cover you."_

As I approached the Life Café's entrance, I saw Mark, Maureen, Joanne, Mimi and Roger coming from the left. And surprisingly, from the right came Benny.

"You gonna break the festive mood again?" Roger raised an eyebrow at Benny.

He shook his head and smirked, saying, "No, this time, if you guys don't mind… I kind of want to join you." He admitted.

This shocked us a bit, but we snapped out of it and happily allowed him. It seemed like he was finally coming back to his senses, after all.

As we entered the café, we pushed a few tables together again, much to the owner's dismay, and sat down. I ordered my pasta again, earning a raised eyebrow from Roger. "I told you, it tastes the same!" I chuckled. "And again, I'm telling you: only if you close your eyes." Mimi winked.

The rest of the group laughed as they gave their orders. Of course, we asked for some wine and beer to go with it. It _was _Christmas after all!

When everyone had gotten their orders, and more importantly, their drinks, Mark stood up and tapped on his glass with his fork, getting our attention. But for some reason, when we all turned to face him, his confidence disappeared. Most likely because it wasn't just _our _attention he got.

"I, uh, just want to say… Thanks to all of you. My life would've never been this great without you." He smiled and looked at each of us. Then, he stopped at Benny. "Even you." He said, slightly pointing his glass at the now grinning baldy. "To more Christmases together," He looked to the left, "to staying friends," he looked right this time, "and to La Vie Boheme." He said, raising his glass in the air.

"To La Vie Boheme!" We all replied, pointing our glasses up as well.

"And…" Mark suddenly added. He looked at me and smiled. "to the one person who kept this family together more than anyone else." Everyone smiled slightly, knowing exactly who he meant. Mark sincerely looked up and pointed his glass towards the sky. "To Angel."

Everyone stood up at this point and raised their glasses up as well. "To Angel."

We all toasted our glasses before finally sitting down to eat.

As we ate, casual chat started, making every moment of the lunch enjoyable. At one point, I was just listening in to all the other simultaneous stories, while blankly staring in front of me.

"_Sisters?" Mr. Grey coughed as Joanne and Maureen made-out in front of him. They pulled away for a short while, looked at him with annoyance, and said, "We're close."_

_Angel pushed me down to the table and took my lips. We then pulled away and grinned at Mr. Grey, before giving one bold statement._

"_BROTHERS!"_

I chuckled quietly at the memory as everyone finished up their meals. We called for the bill, and just as I was about to take out some money from my shirt pocket, I felt a hand tapping mine, somewhat telling me to stop. I looked to my left, and saw Benny smiling. "I'll pay." He said patting my hand.

"Seriously?" Mark asked in shock. Benny nodded. "Awesome! Thanks a lot, Benny!" Mark chuckled, glad to see that the eighth Bohemian had truly returned to us.

As we stood up to leave, we all couldn't help but wonder what had made Benny so nice. But just when Roger was about to ask, he spoke.

"I'm pretty sure you're all wondering why I've decided to turn around…" We all nodded in response. "Well, Alison found out about Mimi, and she wouldn't believe me when I told her we weren't together anymore. And, well, long story short, she kicked me out." He shrugged.

"Oh man, sorry to hear that…" I said, patting his back.

He chuckled. "Doesn't matter. I kinda cared more about her money anyway." He admitted.

Everyone laughed.

"So, soon enough, I won't be the one asking for rent. I'll be helping you pay it off." He added.

"Wait, so you're moving back in?" Mark asked with a grin as he wrapped his beloved scarf around his neck tighter.

"If you let me." Benny smiled slightly, nudging the strawberry blonde. Mark nodded and wrapped one arm around his friend's shoulder. "I think Roger's planning to move down to Mimi's anyway." Mark said loud enough to make sure the couple heard.

"Yeah, that way I won't have to deal with your whiny ass all the time." Roger teased before giving our favorite little geek a noogie. "He's your burden now." Roger patted Benny on the shoulder with a laugh as he went back to link arms with Mimi.

We laughed along with them as we walked down the street I came from earlier, when Mark looked over at me. "How about you Collins? You planning to come back to the flat?"

I smiled and shook my head. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't want to leave Angel's loft without anyone to take care of it." He nodded in understanding as we reached the entrance to the subway.

"I'll see you guys on New Year's Eve, okay?" I said as I turned to go down.

"Be on time!" Mark said as Maureen and Joanne turned left and the rest of them kept going straight down the road.

I got into the train and sat down on the lonely bench on the side where I sat before Angel had left. I looked around and pondered, when two ladies across me started talking.

"Hey, Miss Jane, doesn't he look familiar?" The younger of the two, who was wearing an almost all leather attire, asked the more plump woman beside her.

"Abigail dear, how could you forget? He was the one singing about a restaurant last year!" She chuckled and patted the fair skinned girl on the back.

I smiled and recognized them as the two girls I had spun while singing about Santa Fe. Interested, I continued to eavesdrop as Abigail asked another question.

"Wasn't he with three other people though?" She asked, looking at my lone self.

"Yes dear, there were. One with glasses, one with shaggy hair, and the other, I believe, his girlfriend." She said with a smile.

"So shouldn't he at least be with his girlfriend? I like her!" Abigail grinned.

"Actually…" I finally joined their conversation. Looking up at them, I shrugged and said, "she passed away in October."

They both looked at me in shock before coming over to my side of the train and sitting on either side of me. They patted my back comfortingly and I smiled my thanks.

"She was lucky to have you." Jane said before standing up as the train slowed down.

I shook my head and grinned. "No ma'am, I was lucky to have her." She smiled at me as the doors opened.

"Merry Christmas dear." She said with a smile.

"Merry Christmas." Abigail said as well as she stood up and trailed after the older lady.

"Merry Christmas." I answered as they departed from the train.

I had two more stops before having to get off, so I decided to just think again.

"_Let's open up a restaurant in Santa Fe, and save from devastation our brains."_

Then it hit me. I finally knew what I would do next with my life.

As the train stopped at my station, I quickly made my way home and took out a blank sheet of paper and a pencil. I sat at the dining table and began sketching my dream layout for a restaurant.

~To Be Continued~

A/N: See, storyline finally begins! :D Haha. Please review or I may lose motivation to write. D:

Thank you. :)


	4. Chapter 3: What You Own

A/N: I do not own Angel or Collins or Rent. We all owe Rent to Jonathan Larson. May he rest in peace.

**Forever and a Day**

**Chapter 3 [What You Own]**

I put down my pencil and smiled as I reviewed the layout I had just made. It was a really rough draft, but I did think it looked pretty good. I leaned back in my chair and looked at the frame on the corner of the desk and smiled. I reached for the red frame in front of me and glanced at it. It was a picture of me and Angel kissing. I then looked at the clock on the other corner, and saw papers that needed grading. Greaat.

I sighed, picking them up and taking out the answer key from the drawer. By the time I had finally finished, it was late enough for me to make dinner. Right when I went to the kitchen though, the phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered quickly.

"Hey Collins!" Mark said cheerfully from the other end of the line.

"Oh hey man, what's up?" I said casually, plopping down on the nearest sofa I could find.

"You doing anything for dinner?" He asked.

"Nah, I'm alone, as usual. Why?" I said, putting my legs up on the table in front of me.

"What do you say about me, Roger and Benny coming over then? We could eat together." He suggested with a very Mark-y tone.

"Well sure, why not? What about Meems?" I asked, knowing Roger wouldn't go anywhere without her.

"Oh right. Well either she'll come too, or it'll just be me and Benny." He suddenly remembered and chuckled.

"Alright man. So I'll see you in a few?" I said with a grin, not caring about the fact that he couldn't see it.

"Yeah, I guess. See ya!" He said before hanging up.

And then I remembered. I needed to make food for at least three people now instead of one.

I rushed to the kitchen and realized there was barely anything party-worthy in the pantry. I sighed, pulling out the best thing I could find, which was a pack of macaroni and cheese. Well, it was better than nothing.

As I finished up the baked mac and cheese, the doorbell rang. I set the tray down on the counter and opened the door. As I expected, only Mark and Benny were there.

They came in, thankfully with some more food, and even a few drinks. I brought out a bottle of Stoli as well as we set everything on the table.

"So what made you guys wanna come all the way over here anyway?" I asked, popping open one of the bottles and pouring drinks for my two friends and myself.

"Well one, we thought you'd be lonely..." Mark said innocently when Benny cut in.

"And two, I'm pretty sure Roger and Mimi have... plans." He coughed. We laughed, immediately understanding what he meant.

We ate and drank until we had wiped out everything we brought, save for one last bottle of Stoli. It was obvious that Mark had a little too much to drink, while Benny and I were a bit intoxicated but still sane, even if we had more to drink than Mark. That boy really wasn't all that good at holding his liquor after all.

"Hey Collins, is it fun to be gay?" Mark slurred, dropping down on the sofa.

"Why? You considering it?" Benny teased as he sat next to the drunken geek.

"Well Collins seems to be having a better time than meee~" He hiccuped. I laughed before sitting down on the table in front of them.

"Mark, have you forgotten that I have AIDS, and the only person I've ever loved is dead?"

"No... But at least you were successful in love... And you've got moneyy." He sighed before dozing off.

I rolled my eyes and chuckled before standing up to clear the table. Angel hated it when I didn't clean up, after all.

Benny stood up and helped me with some of the dishes as we talked about a few… not-so-light topics.

"How've you been coping?" Benny asked me while he stowed the clean plates in the cabinet.

"I've been doing okay, I guess." I shrugged. "But I miss her a lot."

"I'm sure you do." He said sympathetically. "But have you ever considered trying again?" He said with plain curiosity.

I shook my head vehemently. "Never. No one will ever be as great as my Angel."

Benny nodded in understanding. "So what are you going to do?"

"Live my life for her. It's what she'd want me to do." I smiled.

"Anything in particular you wanna do though?" Benny asked. I wasn't surprised he was asking so much. I figured he just wanted to be updated since none of us were exactly on good terms with him for a little while.

I stowed the last of the plates away and smiled at him. "Actually..." I said, walking to my room, signaling for him to follow me. When we got there, I pulled out the floor draft I had made earlier from under the tests. Benny took the paper from me and examined it thoroughly with a smirk playing on his lips.

He reached for my pencil and encircled a few things while writing notes next to them. "I think it would be better if you put the kitchen over here..." He started. After a few minutes of deliberating, he came up with a much better plan than my original.

"How do you know this kinda stuff?" I asked with a chuckle, looking over the new plan in admiration.

"I worked for the Greys, what do you think?" He laughed. I was really glad to see Benny back to his cheery self. I sure am glad Muffy found out about Mimi. If it weren't for that, Benny would still most likely be a rent-seeking jackass.

"True that." I finally answered, setting the paper down next to the picture frame.

Benny's eyes turned from the paper to the frame and he reached out to it, before stopping his hand midway. He looked at me and I nodded, so he picked it up carefully and examined it. He could only smile slightly before putting it back in place. "You really loved him, huh?"

I grinned, turning to the bedside table and glancing at the picture there. It was a picture of Angel, out of drag, smiling sweetly. There was also a message written at the bottom of it in permanent marker.

_"I love you, Thomas B. Collins. I always will. __ Your Angel"_

Benny noticed the picture as well and walked closer to read the message in red ink. He smiled and looked at me. Finally, I nodded as a response to his previous question. "And he loved you too." He said with a contented sigh.

"I don't know what I ever did to deserve him you know. I always just thought I was one hell of a lucky fuck to have been a part of his life." I shrugged, walking over as well and picking up the picture. I kissed it chastely and placed it back on the table before turning to Benny. He smiled a little, shifting a bit uncomfortably in his spot before looking back at me.

"Look, Collins, I just really want to say I'm sorry for all the shit I've done. Not just to you, to all of you. I know I've really been a prick and—"

"Relax man. You did what you had to as a Grey slave." I said teasingly. "But hey, for me, as long as you know that what you did sucked like hell, I'm okay. And considering that Mark and Roger let you back, I'm sure they forgive you too. Mimi I'm sure. Joanne and Maureen, well, I guess they do too. They were all cool during lunch after all." I shrugged.

"Do you think Angel would have forgiven me?" He said with an evident tone of worry and shame.

I glanced at the picture again and smiled. "Most definitely." I looked back at him and chuckled. "In fact, I'd think she'd be the one asking for your forgiveness too, considering she killed your dog." I said, picking up her drumsticks from beside her picture.

"Of course I'd forgive her. I'm actually thankful. That dog annoyed the hell out of me." Benny laughed, shaking his bald head.

Things were quiet for a few seconds, so I decided to break the silence with, "Well, I think we should go check on our little geek outside." He chuckled as we turned around, shocked to see a now-awake Mark Cohen looking at the restaurant plans on my table.

"Collins, how much is this gonna cost?" Mark asked with curiosity.

"Quite a lot, I'm guessing." I shrugged. "Not like I really care. I've always got the ATM." I laughed. "But then again, it wouldn't feel as great if I didn't seriously earn the money for it myself." I said, scratching the back of my head.

"So you're gonna honestly work to pay for this?" Mark asked, setting the paper back down on the table.

"Yeah. I'll earn the money honestly this time, that way it'll be something I can really be proud of." I explained simply.

"Well how about we help you then?" Mark offered, smiling with his eyes still half-lidded.

"Aw c'mon Mark, you guys should be using the money for yourselves instead." I insisted.

"No way Collins. You've helped us out how many times now, so I think it's about time for us to help you." He rebutted with a goofy grin.

I sighed. I knew there was no way to change his mind after all. "Alright fine… But just a little." I tried negotiating.

"Alright, fine. But I'm telling the girls about this too." Mark said, trying to reach more of a compromise.

"Fine, fine." I said shrugging.

"I'm helping too, whether you like it or not." Benny chuckled, walking over to Mark.

I shook my head and grinned before looking at my two ex-roommates who were both grinning back at me. "I guess I can't say no, can I?" I chuckled and slung my arms around their shoulders.

~To be continued~


	5. Chapter 4: Will I?

A/N: I do not own Angel or Collins or Rent. We all owe Rent to Jonathan Larson. May he rest in peace.

**Forever and a Day**

**Chapter 4 [Will I?]**

It had already been a few months since I first mentioned the restaurant to Benny and Mark. Roger, Mimi, Maureen and Joanne pitched in to help me as well. Having friends as kind as them always made me wonder what it was I did to ever deserve people like them… people like Angel.

Before I knew it, it was my birthday. I didn't expect anything at all, honestly. I just thought I would go hang out with Mark, Roger and Benny, since it was a Saturday. I didn't expect to see the whole gang in the apartment, with cake, alcohol, and lots of food.

"Seriously guys, you didn't have to do all of this for me!" I said with a huge grin on my face as they handed me their gifts.

"Aw, c'mon Col. We wanted to show you how much we love you!" Maureen said as she draped her arms around my neck. I hugged my best friend back before opening the gift that she and Joanne got for me. I pulled out a small, porcelain angel from the box, and smiled.

"Mo, Jo… Thank you. It's beautiful." I said, carefully setting it aside, since I had a feeling we'd all be getting drunk later on.

Roger and Mimi put together their money to get me a new filing case. It was perfect, since all of my papers were getting mixed up on my desk. "Thanks guys." I grinned.

Next was Benny's gift. I opened the white envelope and found a bunch of hundreds in it. "Benny, is this…?"

"Yeah, it's for the restaurant." He smiled.

I grinned. Benny was a really great help. "Thanks a lot, man."

Lastly, Mark turned on his projector and showed his gift. It was full of crazy shots of me from the past… Including the time when I ran naked through the Parthenon. Ah, good times…

The movie then led up to my recent life with Angel. I got a little teary-eyed at some points, but I just told them that they were tears of happiness, which wasn't exactly a lie.

I thanked Mark for the effort he put into the movie. Afterwards, the real partying began.

The party had started at around three in the afternoon, and ended at midnight, when everyone crashed on the floor, completely wasted.

I think I was the most stable one of the group, considering the fact that I could still actually stand up. Sure, the world was spinning, but at least I wasn't out cold on the floor like everyone else. I was smart enough to think of going to my old bedroom to sleep, and sleep I did.

The next day, everyone had massive headaches. As we sat at the table for some breakfast, I smiled down at my coffee.

"Collins sure seems happy." Roger murmured.

I nodded. Mo smirked at me. "What's got you so chipper, huh?"

I smirked back at her. "Last night, I had a dream." I started.

"Hold on buddy, that's _my_ line." Maureen raised an eyebrow at me before laughing. Everyone had chuckled as well, when she signaled for me to continue.

"Angel was there. She was greeting me happy birthday." I smiled again before looking around. All of them were smiling as well. I shrugged, showing that that was pretty much the gist of my dream.

"So she's still looking after us..." Mimi smiled, looking up at where she knew her best friend was. Everyone nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, my mood made a huge three hundred and sixty, and I just looked down at my bowl of Captain Crunch grimly.

"Col? What's wrong sweetie?" Maureen asked, comfortingly patting my back.

I sighed. "I don't know... do you think... I can do it?" I asked, dropping my spoon.

Everyone looked at me anxiously, as if waiting for me to explain.

I looked out the window for a while before looking back at each of them. "Will I be able to reach my dream?" I started. "Will I be successful? Will I be able to make Angel proud of me?" I made sure to emphasize the last question.

"Oh, honey of course Angel is proud of you!" Maureen said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder comfortingly. "I mean, how can't she be? You're amazing!"

"She's right, Collins. You're an awesome person and I know that Angel is proud of you." Roger added with a smile.

"And we all believe that you can do it. Because we're all here to help you out too." Mark said.

I smiled at them and thanked them for their support. I looked up, and I could have sworn that I almost saw Angel looking down and smiling at me too.

The rest of the morning went by slowly. But, a little before noon, we had decided it was time for each of us to head on home. We had one big group hug, and I thanked them all again for making my birthday so special and I also thanked them for the help they were giving me. With that, we all headed back to our own abodes.

Time continued to pass, a lot slower than I expected. I would tutor every now and then to get some extra cash flowing for the restaurant. My friends also continued to help me. Each of them gave their own extra money to help every now and then. I still don't understand how I was ever this lucky to have friends like them.

I started to look through some empty lots in Alphabet City, and looked for one that was conveniently placed and not too expensive. I had quite a list of lots though, so my search took me much longer than I had expected… But, finally, I was able to find one good lot that fit the bill. Since the Life Café had the areas around 11th street covered, I decided to go for a lot on the corner of Avenue B and 4th street. It was a pretty big lot, and it looked convenient enough a spot for me. It was slightly pricier than the other lots, but I just knew that this was the lot I wanted.

I shared my expedition results with the others, and we all looked at the lot together one day. They had all agreed that it was a good spot to put up shop.

Slowly, but surely, we worked up to that goal. Soon enough, my doubts had disappeared. With these guys around, and knowing that Angel was watching over me, I knew I could do it. I _will_ be able to reach my dreams.

~To be continued~

A/N: Okay, short filler chapter that I could've finished so long ago but for some reason, didn't. Yaaay. HAHAHA. Okay, things will become more interesting from here on in (I shoot without a script. LOLOLOLOL.). See ya. :D


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